A Clockwork Orange

1962 (published) ; Anthony Burgess

A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess published in 1962. Set in a near future English society featuring a subculture of extreme youth violence, the teenage protagonist, Alex, narrates his violent exploits and his experiences with state authorities intent on reforming him. The book is partially written in a Russian-influenced argot (secret language) called “Nadsat.” According to Burgess it was a jeu d’esprit (a witty comment or composition) written in just three weeks.

In 2005 A Clockwork Orange was included on TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 Best English-Language Novels written since 1923, and it was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 Best English-Language Novels of the Twentieth Century. The original manuscript of the book has been located at McMaster University’s William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada since the institution purchased the documents in 1971.